Community DescriptionWest Greenwich, Rhode Island (West Greenwich Critical Resources Atlas, n.d.)
Introduction
The community description for West Greenwich was written with the intentions of showing where West Greenwich stands academically, economically, and health/welfare-wise compared with the rest of the state and the country. Based on these standings, one can make conclusions about the quality of schools and student performances in West Greenwich. Factors stated in this report all have impacts on student performances. Welcome to West Greenwich!
West Greenwich, Rhode Island is located in Kent County, RI, and is one of the smallest rural towns in the state. It is 51 square miles, but despite its large land area, there are only about 6000 residents in the town. This is due to the large amount of conservation land; 47% of the town’s land is preserved and has many beautiful state parks. The children that make up the town are not very diverse, with 91% of them identifying at white, and the rest of the 9% identifying as either black, Hispanic, Asian American, and Native American. (Town of West Greenwich Rhode Island, n.d.) Environment and Geography West Greenwich is a small rural town in Kent Country, RI with the area code 02817. The town is around 51 square miles, but don't let that deceive you, the town only has 6,135 (as of the 2010 census) residents. This leads to 121.2 people per square mile. Only .7 of the 51 miles are water while the rest is all land, West Greenwich does not boarder the Atlantic Ocean. Majority of this land is town preserved. At 47% this includes Arcadia State Park, URI/W. Alton Jones Campus and the Big River Management Area. The Nature Conservancy, Audubon Sociiety and the West Greenwich Land Trust also have protected several large parcels, the latest being the 1600 acre Tillinghast Preserve. Economic Well Being Majority of the people within West Greenwich are able to live at a relatively wealthy life style. At the West Greenwich school statistics show that the median family income is $103,897 compared to $68,507 for the median family income of Rhode Island. There is a property tax of $22.55 per household thousand. The average cost of rent is $910, compared to $1,176. Only 15% of children live in single-parent families, while there are 31% of children in Rhode Island. Children living in grandparent headed households is only 5%.Only 6.5% of children live in families below the federal poverty threshold, while 17.9% of children in Rhode Island do. Only 1% of children are in families receiving cash assistance, followed by only 92 students are apart of the SNAP program (food stamps). Health/Family Indicators
Home life plays a very critical role in a child's performance at school. Children who live in a stable, secure home are more likely to come to school focused, prepared, and ready to learn than those who are distracted by family hardships. In the community of West Greenwich, Rhode Island, family environments seem to be mostly stable in comparison to the rest of the state. For example, a 2010 report showed that only 15% of children live in single-parent households, compared to 31% of children in the entire state of RI. Births reported to mothers with less than a high school diploma in the community is a small 4% as of 2012, while in the state of Rhode Island, the rate is 16%. Teen birth rates in the town are miniscule, with a 0.0099% rate to teens aged 15-19 as of 2012. In the entire state, this rate for the same group of people is 0.025%, which is still very low, but much higher than the rate of teen births in the town of West Greenwich. The rate of child abuse and neglect is also very low in the town compared with the rate in the whole state. A 2012 report showed that only about 7 children per 1000 children are abused or neglected in the town of West Greenwich, while about 14 in 1000 children face child abuse in the state as a whole. In addition, that 2012 report also showed that 0 in 1000 children in West Greenwich have an incarcerated parent, while 11 in 1000 children in Rhode Island have an incarcerated parent. The rate of home-related issues for children in West Greenwich are very low compared with children in the rest of the state. This will have an effect of the kids of West Greenwich’s performance in school. With less distractions and distresses at home, kids have a chance to focus and complete work in a safe, encouraging environment where affluent parents are there to help students grow academically. (West_Greenwich_2013, n.d.) Early Learning/Intervention
Young students who seem to be struggling at a young age or who have learning disabilities need to get help at a very young age, or they may end up suffering academically for the rest of their educational careers. The rate of students participating in early-learning/learning enhancement programs in West Greenwich are very low compared to the state of Rhode Island. For example, the rate of children enrolled in full day kindergarten is 0%, while in the rest of the state, this rate is much higher at 68% (reported in 2012). There are studies showing that full day kindergarten is very beneficial to young children, and is key to the beginning stages of learning development. In West Greenwhich, the rate of children under the age of 3 participating in Early Intervention programs is only 8%, while the rate for the rest of the state is 12% as of 2012. Also, only 0.004% of the children participating in Head Start are from West Greenwich. In comparison to the rest of the state, not many young children are taking advantage of Early Intervention and Head Start programs, which could be interpreted in a couple ways. One being that children in the town aren’t in need of these programs, which would be a good scenario. Another being that the parents of children in West Greenwich aren’t proactive enough to recognize that their child needs help and get it for them. Children reported in 2012 who are enrolled in special education was reported at 18% in Rhode Island, and at 15% in West Greenwich. This rate is around average in West Greenwich compared with the state. From this data, it can be concluded that many young children aren't highly involved in early education enhancing programs in West Greenwich. This could be because students don't need these services, but based on the number of students enrolled in special education in West Greenwich, this seems unlikely. This could be detrimental to the future of these kid’s academic endeavors, because it is known that early education is essential to success later on in the classroom. (West_Greenwich_2013, 2012) Academic Indicators
Of all of the factors that determines a community’s academic success, test scores seem to have the highest value. In the small community of West Greenwich, students are scoring above average on standardized tests compared with the rest of the state. Of all the fourth graders living in the community, 83% scored at or above “proficiency” level in reading, and 80% scored at or above proficiency in math. As for eighth graders in the community, a stunning 87% scored at or above reading proficiency levels, which was 10% higher than the state average. 73% of the eighth graders in West Greenwich also scored at or above proficiency in math, compared with 58% in the rest of the state. In West Greenwich juniors, 61% score at or above proficiency in math, while only a small 34% achieved this level in the rest of Rhode Island. Rhode Island fourth graders rank 15th in the country for reading skills, and 27th for eighth grade reading skills. These statistics are based off of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test results in 2012. As for high school graduation rates, West Greenwich graduates about 90% of students enrolled in high schools, which is very high compared to the graduation rate of the state, 77%. Rhode Island has the 23rd highest graduation rate in all of the US. West Greenwich is a high scoring town, with many students graduating from high school relative to the state of Rhode Island, and in the entire country. (Education 2013 NEW, 2012)
Conclusion
All in all, West Greenwich is a very privileged community that hasn't taken advantage of their wealth yet scoring very well compared to the rest of Rhode Island. Most households in West Greenwich make around $25,000 above the average. Many of the homes are close-nit families, only 15% of children live in single-parent households, compared to 31% of children in the entire state of Rhode Island. Even those these families are very privileged, they do not take advantage of their wealth and have 0% of students enrolled in kindergarten. This is frowned upon because it is a very crucial stage in life for a child's development. Shockingly, West Greenwich students are excelling in their academics. Compared to the rest of the state fourth graders are scoring over 80% above "proficiency" in broth reading and math. Juniors scored 61%above proficiency in math, while only a small 34% achieved this level in the rest of Rhode Island. Fourth graders are ranked 15th in the country for reading skills, and 27th for eight grade reading skills. Imagine what these students would be capable if they were enrolled into school a year earlier.
(West Greenwich Critical Resources Atlas, n.d.)
Introduction
The community description for West Greenwich was written with the intentions of showing where West Greenwich stands academically, economically, and health/welfare-wise compared with the rest of the state and the country. Based on these standings, one can make conclusions about the quality of schools and student performances in West Greenwich. Factors stated in this report all have impacts on student performances.
Welcome to West Greenwich!
West Greenwich, Rhode Island is located in Kent County, RI, and is one of the smallest rural towns in the state. It is 51 square miles, but despite its large land area, there are only about 6000 residents in the town. This is due to the large amount of conservation land; 47% of the town’s land is preserved and has many beautiful state parks. The children that make up the town are not very diverse, with 91% of them identifying at white, and the rest of the 9% identifying as either black, Hispanic, Asian American, and Native American. (Town of West Greenwich Rhode Island, n.d.)
Environment and Geography
West Greenwich is a small rural town in Kent Country, RI with the area code 02817. The town is around 51 square miles, but don't let that deceive you, the town only has 6,135 (as of the 2010 census) residents. This leads to 121.2 people per square mile. Only .7 of the 51 miles are water while the rest is all land, West Greenwich does not boarder the Atlantic Ocean. Majority of this land is town preserved. At 47% this includes Arcadia State Park, URI/W. Alton Jones Campus and the Big River Management Area. The Nature Conservancy, Audubon Sociiety and the West Greenwich Land Trust also have protected several large parcels, the latest being the 1600 acre Tillinghast Preserve.
Economic Well Being
Majority of the people within West Greenwich are able to live at a relatively wealthy life style. At the West Greenwich school statistics show that the median family income is $103,897 compared to $68,507 for the median family income of Rhode Island. There is a property tax of $22.55 per household thousand. The average cost of rent is $910, compared to $1,176. Only 15% of children live in single-parent families, while there are 31% of children in Rhode Island. Children living in grandparent headed households is only 5%.Only 6.5% of children live in families below the federal poverty threshold, while 17.9% of children in Rhode Island do. Only 1% of children are in families receiving cash assistance, followed by only 92 students are apart of the SNAP program (food stamps).
Health/Family Indicators
Home life plays a very critical role in a child's performance at school. Children who live in a stable, secure home are more likely to come to school focused, prepared, and ready to learn than those who are distracted by family hardships. In the community of West Greenwich, Rhode Island, family environments seem to be mostly stable in comparison to the rest of the state. For example, a 2010 report showed that only 15% of children live in single-parent households, compared to 31% of children in the entire state of RI. Births reported to mothers with less than a high school diploma in the community is a small 4% as of 2012, while in the state of Rhode Island, the rate is 16%. Teen birth rates in the town are miniscule, with a 0.0099% rate to teens aged 15-19 as of 2012. In the entire state, this rate for the same group of people is 0.025%, which is still very low, but much higher than the rate of teen births in the town of West Greenwich. The rate of child abuse and neglect is also very low in the town compared with the rate in the whole state. A 2012 report showed that only about 7 children per 1000 children are abused or neglected in the town of West Greenwich, while about 14 in 1000 children face child abuse in the state as a whole. In addition, that 2012 report also showed that 0 in 1000 children in West Greenwich have an incarcerated parent, while 11 in 1000 children in Rhode Island have an incarcerated parent. The rate of home-related issues for children in West Greenwich are very low compared with children in the rest of the state. This will have an effect of the kids of West Greenwich’s performance in school. With less distractions and distresses at home, kids have a chance to focus and complete work in a safe, encouraging environment where affluent parents are there to help students grow academically. (West_Greenwich_2013, n.d.)
Early Learning/Intervention
Young students who seem to be struggling at a young age or who have learning disabilities need to get help at a very young age, or they may end up suffering academically for the rest of their educational careers. The rate of students participating in early-learning/learning enhancement programs in West Greenwich are very low compared to the state of Rhode Island. For example, the rate of children enrolled in full day kindergarten is 0%, while in the rest of the state, this rate is much higher at 68% (reported in 2012). There are studies showing that full day kindergarten is very beneficial to young children, and is key to the beginning stages of learning development. In West Greenwhich, the rate of children under the age of 3 participating in Early Intervention programs is only 8%, while the rate for the rest of the state is 12% as of 2012. Also, only 0.004% of the children participating in Head Start are from West Greenwich. In comparison to the rest of the state, not many young children are taking advantage of Early Intervention and Head Start programs, which could be interpreted in a couple ways. One being that children in the town aren’t in need of these programs, which would be a good scenario. Another being that the parents of children in West Greenwich aren’t proactive enough to recognize that their child needs help and get it for them. Children reported in 2012 who are enrolled in special education was reported at 18% in Rhode Island, and at 15% in West Greenwich. This rate is around average in West Greenwich compared with the state. From this data, it can be concluded that many young children aren't highly involved in early education enhancing programs in West Greenwich. This could be because students don't need these services, but based on the number of students enrolled in special education in West Greenwich, this seems unlikely. This could be detrimental to the future of these kid’s academic endeavors, because it is known that early education is essential to success later on in the classroom. (West_Greenwich_2013, 2012)
Academic Indicators
Of all of the factors that determines a community’s academic success, test scores seem to have the highest value. In the small community of West Greenwich, students are scoring above average on standardized tests compared with the rest of the state. Of all the fourth graders living in the community, 83% scored at or above “proficiency” level in reading, and 80% scored at or above proficiency in math. As for eighth graders in the community, a stunning 87% scored at or above reading proficiency levels, which was 10% higher than the state average. 73% of the eighth graders in West Greenwich also scored at or above proficiency in math, compared with 58% in the rest of the state. In West Greenwich juniors, 61% score at or above proficiency in math, while only a small 34% achieved this level in the rest of Rhode Island. Rhode Island fourth graders rank 15th in the country for reading skills, and 27th for eighth grade reading skills. These statistics are based off of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test results in 2012. As for high school graduation rates, West Greenwich graduates about 90% of students enrolled in high schools, which is very high compared to the graduation rate of the state, 77%. Rhode Island has the 23rd highest graduation rate in all of the US. West Greenwich is a high scoring town, with many students graduating from high school relative to the state of Rhode Island, and in the entire country. (Education 2013 NEW, 2012)
Conclusion
All in all, West Greenwich is a very privileged community that hasn't taken advantage of their wealth yet scoring very well compared to the rest of Rhode Island. Most households in West Greenwich make around $25,000 above the average. Many of the homes are close-nit families, only 15% of children live in single-parent households, compared to 31% of children in the entire state of Rhode Island. Even those these families are very privileged, they do not take advantage of their wealth and have 0% of students enrolled in kindergarten. This is frowned upon because it is a very crucial stage in life for a child's development. Shockingly, West Greenwich students are excelling in their academics. Compared to the rest of the state fourth graders are scoring over 80% above "proficiency" in broth reading and math. Juniors scored 61%above proficiency in math, while only a small 34% achieved this level in the rest of Rhode Island. Fourth graders are ranked 15th in the country for reading skills, and 27th for eight grade reading skills. Imagine what these students would be capable if they were enrolled into school a year earlier.
Works Cited
Town of West Greenwich Rhode Island: (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2013, from http://www.wgtownri.org/
Education 2013 NEW.pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.rikidscount.org/matriarch/documents/Education%202013%20NEW.pdf
West_Greenwich_2013.pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.rikidscount.org/matriarch/documents/West_Greenwich_2013.pdf
West Greenwich Critical Resources Atlas. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2013, from http://www.edc.uri.edu/riatlas/town/West_greenwich.html